Entries tagged with: Mayhem

The amazing double-billed black metal tour of Mayhem and Watain with support from Canadian war metal band Revenge hit NYC this past Saturday (1/10) at Webster Hall. Unfortunately, Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher couldn't make it over to North America due to visa issues, so they were forced to play without bass, but soldiered on without him. Watain ripped as always.

More pictures, and the setlists from the co-headliners' sets, below...

As always, there are tons of good metal and metal-related tours swinging through NYC and other one-off heavy shows happening here. We don't get around to posting all of them, so here's a roundup of some of the local heavy shows coming up that we're excited about:

Hellbent Hooker, who feature members of Ramming Speed and Mutilation Rites, play the Acheron TONIGHT (1/8) with support from Meth Valley and Mammal. When we first wrote about them, we said, "If you've never experienced the over-the-top spectacle that is Hellbent Hooker, you're in luck. Prepare for a gross-out session... in the best ways possible." Tickets for tonight are on sale.

On Sunday (1/11) at Saint Vitus, mathcore shredders Meek Is Murder team up with Vomit Fist, Aminals and Budd Dwyer. Tickets are on sale.

Couch Slut, who released their excellent debut album, My Life As A Woman, last year, return to Saint Vitus on January 23 with Tile, Microwaves and Chain Gang Grave. Tickets are on sale.

Brooklyn trio Mortals, who put out a great album on Relapse last year, were already announced to open the first night of Eyehategod's 2-night stand at Saint Vitus (tickets), and they've since added their own show happening soon after on February 15 at Acheron. The Black Antler and Nerve Shatter open. Tickets for that one are on sale now.

As a reminder, some previously discussed metal tours are about to hit NYC too. There's the unmissable High on Fire / Windhand double bill hitting Vitus on Friday (1/9) for two shows, but unfortunately both are sold out.

Just a few days after that, you'll probably want to head to Webster Hall (2/28) where two death metal legends, Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse, bring their co-headlining tour. Aeon and Tribulation open. Tickets are still available.

March is stacked so far as well. Legendary Swedes Nifelheim are making a rare and very anticipated NYC appearance on March 15 at Saint Vitus with Ares Kingdom (ex-Order from Chaos), Slutvomit and Iron Force. Get tickets.

The following weekend gets pretty nuts. West Coast black metal greats Dispirit finally make their East Coast debut at Saint Vitus on March 20 and 22 with different sets and different openers each night (tickets). And right smack in the middle of those two shows, the killer Enslaved / Yob / Ecstatic Vision tour hits Gramercy Theater (3/21). You can still get tickets for that one too.

Looking forward a bit to the spring, Electric Wizard's first North American tour in over 10 years hits Webster Hall on April 2. That's unfortunately sold out, but you can try your luck on StubHub or something. This one's not to miss.

No longer mysterious one-woman black metal project Myrkur (aka Amalie Bruun of Ex-Cops and formerly of MINKS and Frankie Rose's band), released an EP on Relapse earlier this year that stirred up its fair share of controversy among metal purists who decried her lack of heavy bona-fides. That's unfortunate, considering the EP is pretty great, but hopefully those cries will be silenced with the news that Myrkur's debut LP features some of the black metal heavy hitters she's been inspired by. She's currently working on it in Oslo with producer Kristoffer Rygg, the man behind Ulver. On top of that, it will feature Teloch of Mayhem on drums and contributions from Øyvind Myrvoll of Nidingr and Dodheimsgard. The full-length is as yet untitled, and it's due out in 2015 on Relapse.

Myrkur shared a demo for the new album called "Skaoi" last week, and she's also announced her first-ever live performance, which will take place at Roskilde Festival in Denmark next July.

Speaking of Mayhem, they'll also be heading out on tour with Watain and Revenge in January.

Metal mag Decibel has published their Top 40 Albums of 2014 list in their newest issue, which you can check out in more detail if you're a subscriber. And thanks to Stereogum who transcribed it, you can also browse the full thing below. Though Decibel have tendedto lean towards veterans for their top spot, a much newer band takes the #1 album this year. And if you're into modern metal, their choice is pretty hard to argue. Those big veteran comeback albums show up soon after though, with At the Gates taking #2 and Godflesh coming in at #5. There's plenty more on there too -- see for yourself below.

At the Gates, related band Vallenfyre (#8 on this list), and 2012 winnersConverge will head out on the 2015 Decibel tour next year. As discussed, that hits NYC on April 12 at Webster Hall. Tickets for that one are still available.

Norwegian black metal institution Mayhem have announced a US tour this winter with co-headliners Watain and openers Revenge. The bands are quite well-matched, as Watain have been bearing the theatrical black metal torch (both literally and figuratively speaking) for awhile now, and Revenge are an excellent current incarnation of classic black metal evil. At the very least, the tour is sure to include a lot of blood and fire. Revenge frontman James Read officially commented on the subject of the tour--"Prepare to bleed upon the Altar of Triumph. No Scene, No Brotherhood, No Remorse. Behold Total Rejection..." Questionable capitalization aside, this should be an awesome tour. The "Black Metal Warfare Tour" will hit NYC on January 10 at Webster Hall. Tickets for that show will be on sale Friday (10/17) at 10 AM.

NYC label Hospital Productions is hosting a special, non-Wednesday, early (8PM) Nothing Changes party at Home Sweet Home on Sunday, August 10 in mark of the 21st anniversary of the death of Euronymous of the forerunning Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, who was notoriously killed by Varg Vikernes of Burzum. Prurient, Clay Rendering, Lussuria, Dual Action, Sandness and DJ Akitsa (of Montreal black metal band Akitsa) will perform. That's a pretty good smattering of Hospital heavyweights, touching on ambient and noise, and it's a relief for NYC area people who didn't get the chance to catch the "Summer Always Summer" tour with Clay Rendering, Lussuria, and Dual Action, which skipped the area. They'll be playing Mayhem's classic debut album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in its entirety at midnight.

Without having to make a case for links between noise/PE and black metal, Hospital Productions has many direct ties to black metal, having released records by Sargeist, Akitsa and Dominick Fernow's own Ash Pool, to name a few, and not to mention that the Hospital store was a trove of black metal obscurities. Also noteworthy is the relatively recent news that Prurient signed to the influential metal label Profound Lore, and Prurient's next album will be produced by Arthur Rizk, who has worked with Power Trip in the past.

Mayhem, and Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth in particular, were massively influential in shaping black metal as we know it today. Aarseth ran the record label Deathlike Silence Productions, responsible for the earliest releases of second wave black metal, and owned the record store Helvete, a nexus of the early Norwegian black metal scene, in Oslo. Euronymous was notoriously murdered by Varg Vikernes, of Burzum, who had recorded with Mayhem and released records on Deathlike Silence. Vikernes served about 15 years of his 21 year sentence in prison for the murder of Euronymous, and was recently found guilty of "inciting racial hatred and glorifying war crimes" in France.

As Hospital sometimes does for live performances, there will be two new tapes released at the show, a Dual Action 8-cassette box titled nightmare angel of the expressways, and Various Algae - Civic Occult Biology, a comp of, presumably, Hospital artists. The show appears to be Prurient's last before heading to Russia, Norway and Austria.

"Me and my uncle @philiphanselmo have a gang," Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman said on Twitter. "And these pants are our uniform." And now that's burned in your retinas, let's take a walk on the newswire:

At the Gates have hinted subtly and not so subtly about a new album for 2014. Now we have something of a timeline. At War With Reality will land around October/November through Century Media Records. One word, guys: GO! Check out a rehearsal update from singer Tomas Lindberg below. In other recording news, Norwegian grindsters Beaten to Death will be hitting the studio, too. Says bassist Mika Martinussen, ""Third time's a charm; Beaten To Death will record the follow-up to Dødsfest! in July, because - let's face it - we're not getting any younger, and ground-breaking records in the grindcore genre don't record and release themselves!" No? Thanks for crushing my dreams of a sentient grindcore bot. Check out some Beaten to Death GoPro-shot live footage below.

Don't forget to keep up with the rest of our metal coverage during the week.

Misery Index

Now that you're, ahem, fully briefed, let's recap all of the A/V transmissions.

Misery Index shot a video for "The Calling" from their recently released album The Killing Gods. It's black and white, and pulls footage from a silent, bible-themed flick, thus giving it an early '90s death metal air. Appropriate, as Jason Netherton's book on the scene is out now. And the speedy Evil Invaders -- good metal sign: band named after a Razor song -- were captured live by a pro crew while covering Exciter. Find both videos below.

Quite a few artists decided to show off their albums in full this week. Mastodonput up a copy of Once More 'Round the Sun on iTunes (June 24, Reprise - preorder). The chamber folk outfit Musk Ox, fresh off their Agalloch collaboration, are now streaming Woodfall. And DRCALSONALBION, the guise of Earth's Dylan Carlson, is streaming all of Gold, his original soundtrack for the film of the same name. Woodfall and Gold were released this week and you can stream both below.

Dylan's main gig, Earth, also released a new song, this one from the forthcoming Primitive & Deadly (September 2, Southern Lord). "From the Zodiacal Light" features a guest vocal from Rabia Shaheen Qazi of Rose Windows. Earth is currently touring Australia. The nasty Nunslaughter are streaming another from the double disc Angelic Dread (June 24, Hells Headbangers - preorder).

Mortals killer crusty metal keeps coming. "The Summoning" is the latest track pulled from Cursed to See the Future (July 8, Relapse - preorder). On July 18, they'll swing into the Acheron for a record release show. Illustrations are showing off "Iron Rain" from their digital EP that will see a release this summer. The thrashin' Algebra -- the one you haven't forgotten -- put up a video for "Survival Nowadays" from Feed the Ego (September 7, Unspeakable Axe). The twisted tech metallers Diskord debuted "Lethargic Regression" from the mini-LP Oscillations (August, Australopithecus Records - preorder). And the first post-Cathedral band has formed. Guitarist Gaz Jenning's Death Penalty, are releasing a single via Rise Above Records. The title track, "Sign of Times" is available below along with the aforementioned streams and all of the tour dates.

SATURDAY (6/21): Filthy doomers Serpentine Path headline an Invisible Oranges/Signature Riff presented show with Churchburn, Throaat, and Dridge at Archeron (tickets). If you wanna go old school with the metal of death, Dr. Shrinker, Desolate, False Prophet, Kurnugia, and Sin Eater are at Saint Vitus (tickets). Then, there's the bill so nice they had it twice. . . and added a few more: Breakdown, Altered Boys, Heavy Chains, White Widows Pact, Born Annoying, and No One Rules hit Asbury Lanes (tickets). More punk? Sure: Oblivionation, Raw Nerves, Demon Brother, and Concrete Cross play Death By Audio. Tickets are $7 at the door. And finally, tech kings Meshuggah and Between the Buried and Me will play the Best Buy Theater, which is sold out.

SUNDAY (6/22): You can check out Black Flag, HOR, and Cinema Cinema at Europa (tickets). Hey, you don't have to tell people what year you saw Black Flag, just that you saw them.

While 3,000 more people buy Metallica's The Black Album, let's take a walk on the newswire:

Indeed, that figure above is no joke. Metallica's Black Album recently passed the 16 million album mark according to Nielsen Soundscan, which has been tracking album sales since 1991. That puts Metallica up top on the list of most popular albums since Soundscan came into existence. Last week, The Black Album moved 3,000 copies. 3,000 copies. 3,000 people dropped their CD on their car floorboard. That's also probably 3,000 greater people than those who remember Napster. YOU WIN LARS. YOU WIN.

Another Judas Priest teaser? ANOTHER JUDAS PRIEST TEASER. JUST GIVE ME THE ALBUM. Redeemer of Souls will be out on July 15 via Epic Records. Find a smidgen of "Halls of Valhalla" below.

High on Fire are back in the studio. Drummer Des Kensel is certainly stoked about it: "Everyone is asking what the new High on Fire music sounds like. Chew on some mescaline and listen to side B of Sabbath's Master of Reality backwards at 78 RPM and it might give you an idea." Black Sabbath on mescaline? So, late '70s Black Sabbath. Got it. Hopefully, the guys preview some of the new songs out on tour. You can find the full list of their non-US engagements (SAD) below.

A few other bands have new albums on the way soon. Mutoid Man, the ripping trio employing Stephan Brodsky (Cave In), Ben Koller (Converge), and Nick Cageao (the guy that makes every band at Brooklyn's Saint Vitus sound nice), have signed to Sargent House. The shredding slayers are targeting 2015 for a new LP. Their last, Helium Head, will also be seeing a re-release. Stream that one below.

The Earth record that was hinted at previously has a name. It's to be dubbed Primitive And Deadly, which is a technical term anthropologist have used to describe caveman farts. Jokes aside, the soulful slow-movers have added more dates to their world tour. Get envious of their travel plans below.

Solstafir

Solstafir, fresh off of MDF, will release Ótta this summer. Preorders start at Season of Mist on June 10. And Opeth will finally get Pale Communion out into the wild on August 26. Preorders for that one begin on June 3 through Roadrunner Records. Opeth also released the cover art, which can be seen below. The wider, gatefold shot includes the pub's pool table.

Funeral doomers Lycus are looking to hit the road again for their 2013 release Tempest. Their slate of upcoming dates includes Martyrdoom Fest at Saint Vitus on July 1. Blast Tempest and check out their full run below.

Finally, speaking of Martyrdoom, Lord Mantis -- whose new record, Death Mask, we recently streamed in full at Invisible Oranges -- have solidified their upcoming tour schedule. They'll also be hitting the Martyrdoom Fest. All dates appear below.

Don't forget to keep up with the rest of our metal coverage during the week.

Now that you're fully briefed, let's recap all of the A/V transmissions, available for your streaming pleasure below.

Might as well get things rolling with a dose of utter insanity. The 30-year-old Mayhem are streaming Esoteric Warfare in full. The long-awaited follow-up to 2007's Ordo ad Chao will see a number of release options via Season of Mist on June 10 (preorder). The LP box comes with a booklet inscribed with this quote: "The will of man is broken." Mayhem have obviously never encountered a chipper Denny's server. Esoteric Warfare's tracklisting and Mayhem's upcoming Euro tour dates are below.

Wolves in the Throne Room set Metal Twitter alight with their Tangerine Dream-influenced woosh. The album details kind of made their M.O. clear, so not sure why everyone is in a huff. Celestite Mirror drops on July 8 through Artemisia Records. Clear your mind and check out the stream below. Unrelated, but does anyone want to start a keyboard-only Stooges cover band called the Mooges?

Noisy rockers Helms Alee and Young Widows have joined forces for a split. The hook-up will be out on Sargent House on June 3 and they're currently previewing the whole darn thing. Helms Alee, the current home for ex-Harkonen frontman Ben Verellen, also put out an LP titled Sleepwalking Sailors in February. The trio is set to hit the road for a short Northwest tour in June. Dates are below.

The NOLA black metal sludge slingers Goatwhore have a lyric video up for "FBS," a track from the upcoming Constricting Rage Of The Merciless that's ready to be unleashed by Metal Blade on July 8. Once the long-player hits the streets, the band will hit the road on The Summer Slaughter Tour, wrapping up their road engagements in August at GWAR-B-Q. Hopefully, by that point, I'll figure out what "FBS" means. Fat bottom stoners, you make the rocking world go 'round? Check out the full tracklisting and the sweet cover art below.

Goatwhore's Summer Slaughter tourmates Fallujah are offering "Sapphire" up for your clicks from their next album, The Flesh Prevails. The progressive slice of death will drop courtesy of Unique Leader on July 22 (preorder). Scope The Flesh Prevails tracklisting below and play, Is it a Death Metal Song or a Sade Song?

There's a new Trap Them smoker off the elegantly titled Blissfucker, something that will surely enter 2015's list of top baby names. This new track is named "Lungrunners." I'm going out a limb and saying it's about the underground lungfish trade. Probably not. Anyway, to ring in the release of Blissfucker (which I will find a way to type as many times as possible; Blissfucker), Trap Them are offering a limited edition seven inch of "Salted Crypts" (preorder). You can stream that Blissfucker track below.

Mortals

Mortals, the bringers of mighty death crust, are previewing another killer from Cursed to See the Future, available via Relapse on July 8 (preorder). The trio are celebrating the new release in style at The Acheron on July 18, complete with a music video screening party. The full future tour dates appear below. Relax, you won't be cursed by adding 'em to your calendar now.

Wrapping things up, Wreck and Reference, the unnerving ruiners of listener's underwear, have debuted a track off of Want, their next album due out June 10 on The Flenser (preorder). Get your void gazing in early before the weekend approaches. Want Want.

Now, time to sprint through the rest of the underground. All streams appear below.

Emptiness' eclectic black metal clatter is now streaming in full. This was a favorite on IO's Upcoming Metal Releases, so it's definitely worth a spin.

Bastard Feast's Osculum Infame infuses some much needed energy into the metallic hardcore thing, dropping in weirdo death metal with their core tumult. The album will be available through Season of Mist on July 22 (preorder). Get blasted by "Bloated City" below.

Rude, the OSDM troupe from Berkley, California, are streaming their recently released scuzzy delight, Soul Recall, in full. Yep, the tone matches the band name. Synergy!

Lastly, The Lion's Daughter are streaming their new single and the proceeds will go to a good cause. The band will be helping out The Stray Rescue, an operation dedicated to stray dogs and cats in St. Louis. Stream the single below and feel good preordering the record.

Fun fact: Do you know what happened 20 years ago today (5/16)? It was a Monday! Who says things aren't better in the future? (What, were you expecting a retrospective?) Anyway, we've got a ton to cover, so let's take a walk on the newswire:

Southwest Terror Fest's 2014 lineup has been announced, providing slow n' low lovers a roster straight out of a nocturnal emission. Held in Tucson, AZ from October 16 - 19, the fest has wrangled Neurosis, Sunn 0))), Pelican, The Body, and a whole heck of a lot more. Hearing aid manufactures are psyched. Also, probably best to bring a change of underwear. Check out the full lineup below.

Metallica's Kirk Hammett gave a progress report regarding the band's newest: "We totally want to make an album. But we have all these other touring commitments, and we have families now. Itís gonna be summertime soon, and itís hard to work because the kids are out of school. But we have a backlog of riffs in the riff bank." Please don't let the riff bank be Lehman Brothers, please don't let the riff bank be Lehman Brothers. . .

How about two bands working a little quicker: Witch Mountain's rootsy Sabbath by way of Grace Slick thick doom? Done. Mobiles Of Angels will be out on Svart Records in September. Progressive death metallers Fallujah? Done. The Flesh Prevails is in the can though there's no date yet. You can catch them at The Summer Slaughter Tour.

Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah has crafted a set of cuts for the video game Wolfenstein: The New Order. Available on May 20, the title promises a new outlet for Meshuggah supporters to tell you that you're playing it wrong.

Core hellions Coliseum have motˆred their way back to Deathwish Inc. and will reissue their eponymous debut from 2005 along with a collection of bonus tunes. A remixed/remastered sample is available below.

In other transaction news, sludge-flingers Usnea have been inked to Relapse with the two eying the end of 2014 for a new release.

If you don't have enough Thou in your existence or were keen to work on a back injury, Dead Tank Records have pressed a three LP whopper of pre-2010 material culled from the band's many splits. Preorders have started. Your mailman quit. The collection is also available for free download for those cloudwalkers among us.

WE ARE NEARING PRIME JUDAS PRIEST TIME! 30 seconds of "March of the Damned" hit the web, another cut from Redeemer of Souls. July 15 can't come soon enough. Preorder yours and that is its cover art above. Obviously. Stream the clip below.

Riff eviscerators Forest of Tygers, who we premiered on IO recently, are tour bound, setting up an American run for the end of May and beginning of June. Show specifics haven't been announced, but the tour poster is available for your perusal below.

Crusties Extinction of Mankind are set to roll on the road as well. The UK punk blasters will be hitting Maryland Deathfest, of course, but now the rest of the country has a chance to catch them. The outfit checks into The Acheron on May 29 with Aspects of War, Trenchgrinder, and The Brood. (Tickets.)

Entombed A.D., the version of Entombed operated by LG Petrov, are finally ready to issue Back to the Front after settling with the A.D.-less over the name dispute. Best guess for what the 'A.D.' signifies? 'After decision'? 'Awww, damnit'? 'Alexandre Dumas'? That's it. Total Three Musketeers fans. Code cracked.

Finally, if you're in the market for some new reading material, the always on-point Bazillion Points is reissuing Slayer Mag X, one of the on-the-scene zines that covered the rise of the second wave of black metal. The hardcover collects interviews and tales from Emperor, Mayhem, Bathory, and more. According to creator Jon Kristiansen, nary a word has been cleansed: ìThis is how Slayer Mag X was done, nothing has been changed and all errors are intact.î Buy it for your copy-editor friend and watch them slowly go insane. Preorders come with a shirt.

Don't forget: Keep up with the rest of our metal coverage during the week.

Now that you're, ahem, fully briefed, let's recap all of the A/V transmissions. Many ones and zeros were transferred and crunched and streamed this week. So much so, we've got to round this up machine-gun style. Apologies in advance to your clicking digit. All streams mentioned can be found below.

Biggies:
- Death metal machine Misery Index dropped The Killing Gods in its entirety. You can grab the album from Season of Mist on May 23. (Preorder.)

- The second taste of Blissfucker, Trap Them's June 10 scheduled assault-by-buzzing is up. Titled "Organic Infernal," the cut makes good on that threat of a title. Prosthetic Records has the preoder.

- Corrosion of Conformity may be rocking their O.G. lineup, but the new stuff sounds fresh. "The Nectar" thrashes things up once again. IX is coming by way of Candlelight Records, June 24. (Preorder.)

- Dirge directors Wolvhammer have allowed the net to Crawl into Black Sun. "Death Division" is a lumbering monster. Profound Lore has got the hook-ups on July 8.

- The occult flute tooters Blood Ceremony are back dooming again with a single. "Let it Come Down" is the A of the Rise Above Records released limited slice. Mark the calendar for June 23.

- Vuyvr has 12 inches of wax on the way. Their EP, Incinerated Gods, comes courtesy of Throatruiner Records on June 26. The Swiss sore-throat-inciters have links to Impure Wilhelmina and Rorcal.

- Mayhem is certainly sharing the wealth, issuing their fourth nibble of Esoteric Warfare. By the time Season of Mist gets this one to the streets on May 27, there will probably be a few streams of shower singing and traffic humming make the rounds.

- Origin has made their Manifest Desolate known, sending out "Omnipresent" as a blasting memo. New roarer Jason Keyser (Skinless) sounds like he's in fine form. The album will hit North American shores on July 8 thanks to Agonia Records. (Preorder.)

- Been wondering what ex-Cryptopsy screecher Lord Worm has been doing? Well, looks like black clouds got him to wiggle out from under the earth. Rage Nucleaire get ultra bleak, inspiring the misanthropic to make their version of a smile. (Blank stare?) Black Storm of Violence will be on Season of Mist and is penciled in for a July 22 drop. (Preorder.)

- Lastly, Den Saakaldte, the Norwegian sorta-supergroup, is streaming one more from Kapittel II: Faen i Helvete. If you remember, we gave "Djevelens Verk" a lot of shine on IO. The just-released is named "Du Selvproklamerte Misjonaer" and if you weren't psyched (in all senses) for the June 10 Agonia Records push, you might be now. (Preorder.)

Now, time to sprint through the rest of the underground.

Little Guys and Eye Candy:
- It was a good week for artists showcasing some visual flare, especially on the death metal side. Nader Sadek and Vallenfyre both screened treats for those looking for videos featuring more than a band in an airplane hanger. The tradsters in Magister Templi also decided to do up a promo in the style of a silent movie, thus possibly making one of the loudest silent movies ever?

- Gravecrusher, the Hungarian OSDM beast, is streaming Morbid Black Oath in full. The spooky Sectu also fall within the same vein and has a CV sporting a Therion connection.

- Full streams aplenty today, actually: The crusty core of Torch Runner is also available for your total enjoyment.

- Dagger, in the ye olde hard rock mold, now have a single. "Ahead of You All" includes contributions from members of Dismember and Grave, if you can believe it.

- And, to wrap things up, Inanimate Existence is just bat guano incarnate. Give "Omen" a click and prepare for a Scanners ka-boom.

Check out all noted streams below.

Got it? Good. To shows we go:

TODAY (FRIDAY 5/16): Whoa. Today is one of those, "Oh yeah, this is why I live here," kind of days. First up, Hardcore Activity in Progress, the Red Bull Academy Festival at the Knockdown Center. I spy some primo metal in the shape of Napalm Death and Gnaw, along with plenty other noise-niks (Bastard Noise, Skullflower) that can cross over. (Tickets.) Then, Solstafir -- the downer doom Icelandic band whose country is kinda killing it right now -- will hit Saint Vitus with Junius and So Hideous. (Tickets.) Lastly, set up a punk knuckle puck with Two Man Advantage, La Armada, THE WILL, Cojoba, and Kantuta at The Acheron. (Tickets.)

SATURDAY (5/17): Black N' Blue Bowl begins this day, my friend. If you're unable to make that core blowout, other shows abound. The Keith Morris punk supercrew OFF!, Cerebral Ballsy, and NASA Space Universe are playing The Bowery Ballroom. (Tickets.) More punk? Sure, how about EU's Arse, Ajax, Sunshine Ward, and Creeping Dose at The Acheron? (Tickets.) If the theatrical is calling your name, Ghost B.C. and King Dude are sure to smash the stops at The Best Buy Theater. (Tickets.) But, if you want doom, you got it at Saint Vitus who have invited in Hull and Bloody Hammers. (Tickets.)

ALAS: You have one last chance to dial in Invisible Oranges on East Village Radio. If you haven't heard, the station is shutting down. It has been a blast, but all things must pass. The final show for IO kicks off Tuesday, May 20 at 10 PM. Be there! Scab and Wyatt will perform ancient Viking burial rituals.

Alright, consider the decks cleared. What did we miss? What are your plans? Let us know and catch all of the dates, reams of streams, and other noted details below....

Was metal busy this week? You bet, but in a mostly good way. Mostly. Unlike your work week, metal didn't drag on like a run-on Dagon answer. (I mean, it did. . .but it didn't.) But, hey, now it's Friday and you can use your two-day, free-from-the-shackles pass to catch some killer shows this weekend in NYC. Before we pack your daily planner, though, let's take a walk on the newswire:

We got more details on the next Judas Priest album, from which we already streamed a teaser track. The July 15 Epic-released record titled Redeemer of Souls now has a running order to accompany its art. Typical Priest-isms fill the list, with "Metalizer" set to ascend as a governing philosophy of all headbangers. Check the full tracklist below.

Minneapolis blackened sludgsters Wolvhammer have wrapped up their third album. Clawing Into Black Sun will hit the streets on July 8 by way of Profound Lore Records. Scope the 22 second trailer and track-listing below.

Speaking of Profound Lord, Chicago's atmospheric mind-expanders The Atlas Moth have finalized specifics for the release of their next album, The Old Believer. June 10 is the release date via, you guessed it, hungry-hungry Profound Lore Records, a label eating up every great band. (Preorder.) Check below for two new songs.

How'd you like to know more about death metal's beginnings? Well, Master's Paul Speckman might have a documentary made about him. We say 'might' since Lone Survivor - Paul Speckmann and the Story of Master is currently in the funding stages via an IndieGoGo campaign.

Hell's Headbangers' Deathhammer is hitting the road. The Norwegian blackened thrash blasters will be at The Acheron on May 9. (Tickets.) Sadistic Intent, Natur, Inverted Trifixion, and Iron Force are also on the bill. All dates of Deathhammer's US trek are listed below.

Finally, Finnish curators Blood Music are going big with their next release. How big? Try 14 LPs. The future bane of all mailmen focuses on viking metal band Moonsorrow and is billed as "the largest box set in metal history." Stay tuned to their Facebook page for details as they come down the pipeline.

Now that you're, ahem, fully briefed, let's recap all of the A/V transmissions:

1349 - 'Slaves' art

1349 were kind enough to give the world an early listen to a track from their forthcoming album. The title and the other requisite details are still to come, but "Slaves" rips in typical blasting fashion. Find it below.

Recently reformed doomers Graves at Sea are streaming a track from their split with Sourveinat Pitchfork. The A-side vs. B-side battle royale will be out later this month through Seventh Rule Recordings. (Preorder.)

Black metallers Mayhem dropped their third stream from their forthcoming Season of Mist release Esoteric Warfare, hitting shelves on May 27. (Preorder.) The appropriately named, given its order of stream-age, "Trinity" bounds along for four minutes of authentic necro-ness. Find it below.

And some neat streams of note to keep you in the know: Salem's Pot and their wizardly doomer "...Lurar ut dig pa prarien", Gravecode Nebula's cavernous "The Frozen Sun (Does Not Support Life)," and two from the Infirmary/Aetherium Mors split. Click the preceding links for album/ordering info. Keep on scrolling for the treats below.

Got it? Good. To NYC shows we go:

First, Invisible Oranges in conjunction with Signature Riff are presenting a show at The Acheron tonight, rounding up Abazagorath, Chasse-Gallerie, One Master, Grue, and Vorde. (Tickets.) Chasse-Gallerie is coming down from Canada and local-boys Vorde can't be missed since the drummer from Fell Voices and Ruin Lust is handling skin-smashing duties. Drop by, get grim, and make your Friday ultra bleak.

TODAY (FRIDAY 5/2):
Proto-metal rockers Bang are playing Saint Vitus with The Golden Grass and Occultation, which we gave you the heads-up on here. This will be Bang's New York debut. (Tickets.)

SATURDAY (5/3):
If Bang is too dusty and you want some punky immediacy, Oc45, Hero Dishonest, Resist Control, and Brain Slug will deafen all at ABC No Rio. Tickets are available at the door for $8.

Something chunkier? The Communion, Lament, metalcore legends Starkweather, and our dearly departed IO editor's Pyrrhon will be at the The Grand Victory. Admission is $9 at the venue.

If you're still in a black metal state of mind, Yellow Eyes, Obsidian Tongue, and Mountain God will blow up heads Scanners-style at Saint Vitus. (Tickets.)

Lastly, if you're in the mood to have your third eye pried, Order of the Owl, Volume IV, It's Not Night: It's Space, and Blackout will kick up some psych at The Acheron. (Tickets.)

Long-running Swedish prog metallers Opeth have announced that they will release their 11th album, Pale Communion, on June 17. (Okay, so they haven't been all that cool for a while now, but still, people love them.) Meanwhile, local black/death heavyweights Tombs have released a trailer for their upcoming third album, Savage Gold, which will be out on June 10 and which is now available for preorder. Trailer's below if you're into it.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mayhem and Diocletian have all debuted new songs, while NYC wallopers Tiger Flowers are streaming their album in full -- you can catch their record release show on Saturday (4/12) at the Gutter, along with Meek Is Murder, So Hideous, and Dead Channels. You can check all four of those streams out below as well.

While we're on the live local tip: sadistic Philly noise-metal greats Starkweather will be hitting Brooklyn for a one-off on May 3 at The Grand Victory, along with Lament, The Communion, and Pyrrhon (my band). Tix are available. Further, White Widows Pact (feat. members of Primitive Weapons and Grudges) have announced a roughly two-week East Coast tour, part of which will also involve Hollow Earth, including the concluding NYC stop at The Acheron on 5/20 (tix).

As far as other live options this weekend go:

TONIGHT (4/11): the much-ballyhooed Decibel Magazine tour, which features Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts, and Noisem, will hit NYC at the Best Buy Theater (tix). If dropping $40 to see 40-somethings rage out onstage seems like a little much, you could opt instead for Hivesmasher, The Great Sabatini, Radiation Blackbody, Mother Brain, and Geryon (stacked!) at the Acheron (tix). Or if you wanna get the old-school vibe in a smaller space, UK proto-thrashers Satan are bringing their first-ever North American tour to Black Bear Bar (formerly Public Assembly), with support from Natur and Sacrificial Blood (tix).

TOMORROW (4/12): the aforementioned Tiger Flowers / Meek Is Murder / So Hideous / Dead Channels record release gig at the Gutter goes down. Sweden's Infernöh and BK's own Nomad will rock their previously TBA show at the Acheron, along with Who Killed Spikey Jacket?, Green Beret, & Ivy (tix). Infernöh and Nomad will be back next weekend for New York's Alright.

Few black metal bands are as storied as Mayhem. Many of the sordid tales that brought Norwegian black metal to the attention of the international press in the early and mid '90s involved Mayhem members, but they're really more notable for their increasingly ambitious musical contributions to the genre's development. Though not all of their efforts have gone over well (2000's Grand Declaration of War in particular was divisive), their last album, 2007's Ordo ad Chao, was popular among fans and critics alike.

Aside from live appearances, Mayhem have mostly been silent since then. All four members have engaged in other projects, with vocalist Attila Csihar in particular busily collaborating with the likes of Sunn O))). But a new Mayhem album has been in the offing for some time, and while release details have yet to emerge (it's due in May, but that's all we know), you can now hear the band's first new song in seven years -- the oddly-titled "Psywar," which is streaming below (via Metal Hammer). Most of the tune is given over to ripping, thrashy black metal, but things get weird and epic about two thirds of the way through; Attila's whole creepy-moaning thing is, unsurprisingly, fully intact.

Mayhem's label Season of Mist will be releasing two limited-edition 7-inch versions of "Psywar" on April 25; you can preorder them here. Stream it below...

It's looking like official Festival Lineup Announcement Day with Shaky Knees Fest, Hangout Fest, and Governors Ball giving us their rosters (not to mention Firefly and Coachella in the past week), and now here's another one: Georgia's CounterPoint Festival. It goes down from April 25-27 in Kingston Downs and features Outkast, Janelle Monae, Schoolboy Q, Run the Jewels, Chance the Rapper, Thundercat, Rustie, Sleigh Bells, Matt & Kim, Major Lazer, XXYYXX, J. Cole, Tourist, A-Trak, Flosstradamus, Phantogram, Tycho, YACHT and more.

There you have it. We already posted a playlist of snow-themed pop songs, but if anyone should be celebrating NYC's current crystalline entombment (single digits tonight!), it's the metal set. Sadly, there aren't any black metal shows of note happening tonight, so you won't have much cause to venture out into the bitter winds of nowhere in pursuit of icy tremolo riffs and goblin vocals. (Though there are some metal shows going down.) Still, those of you who are weathering the storm at home can enter the grim and frostbitten kingdoms with these 14 black metal celebrations of all things cold, frozen, freezing, icy, wintry, and so forth.

A neo-Nazi linked to Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was arrested in southwestern France on Tuesday after his wife bought four rifles, raising suspicions he could turn to violence, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Kristian Vikernes, who is also a convicted murderer from Norway, had in the past received a copy of a manifesto from Breivik, the office and media reports said.

Officers were searching his home for weapons and explosives, a police source told Reuters.

Far-right militant Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing in central Oslo and a shooting spree on a nearby island in July 2011. He was imprisoned for the maximum 21-year term last year.

Breivik sent a copy of a manifesto setting out his ideology to Vikernes, an official at the prosecutor's office said.

"That was at the origin of the investigation ... There were several suspicions that made the services fear he could possibly carry out a violent act," the official said.

The "Norwegian neo-Nazi" had been arrested in Correze, the office told Reuters.

Vikernes' wife had a legal firearms permit when she bought the four rifles, the official said.

On his website, Vikernes discusses Breivik's manifesto, but also criticizes him for killing innocent Norwegians. -[Reuters]

Compared to days oneand two, day three of By:Larm was considerably more indulgent. Two artists (Kvelertak and Mayhem) have played the US several times, and though I was definitely familiar with both, I wanted to see them on their "home turf" so to speak.

After a day of looking at records at Tiger and Big Dipper, I caught a super-early show from The Avalanche (who I saw on day one) before heading to Folketeateret to catch some of Ida Maria's opening set of indie-laced pop-punk. She commanded the crowd to get out of their seats and the audience agreed, dancing in the aisles.

Day two of By:Larm (read about day one HERE) started out with a "black metal" tour of Oslo lead by Anders Odden who has played with everyone from Celtic Frost to Satyricon to Ministry and played in death metallers Cadaver. The tour, which was especially educational for those with limited knowledge of the genre, took us to Holmenkollen Chapel (which was famously burned down by Varg Vikernes, Faust & Euronymous), the site of Helvete (the store owned by Euronymous of Mayhem) which is now a coffee shop, and Neseblod Records, a sort of museum/record store located downtown.

An excellent example of poor planning? I arrived in Oslo on February 9th, just a few short hours before Aura Noir played a local show right next to where I was staying. If their performance at MDF was any indication, I surely missed out. For now their only other upcoming dates are in Europe in May, and are listed below.

One of the strengths of Aura Noir is their ability to bottle their vitriolic energy onto recorded media, a phenomenon that happens again on their latest LP Out to Die due via Indie Recordings on March 23rd (pre-order available). The effort is the band's follow-up to the well-received 2008 release Hades Rise, which sees the past & present members of Mayhem, Virus, Immortal, Dødheimsgard and Cadaver delving deeper into their mailicous brand of black metal and thrash.

Check out the new cover art and tracklisting, along with a stream of new track "Abbadon" which is making its premiere in this post, along with some live video, below...

Egyptian-artist Nader Sadek brought his vision of flesh, petroleum, death metal, and tragedy to life with a FREE show at Santos on 11/20. Based on his In The Flesh concept LP, the artist assembled a team of musicians who helped create the LP including Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel), Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), Rune Eriksen (Aura Noir, Ava Inferi, ex-Mayhem), Carmen Simões (Ava Inferi) and Novy (ex-Vader / ex-Behemoth). The entire experience, from stage design to the masks worn by some of the musicians to the music, came from the mind of Sadek for this one-time event. Check out some more pictures below...

Believe it or not, Mayhem actually did play (and didn't cancel) the "pre-game" for the Metal Suckfest at Gramercy Theater on 11/3. They hit the NYC venue with tourmates Woe, Keep of Kalessin, Abigail Williams, & Hate as part of their string of dates together. No word on if Necrobutcher's recent exorcism affected his on-stage ability, but judging from the below video of "Deathcrush", I doubt it.

That same night, across town, a member of Mayhem (Rune Eriksen) was providing an original recorded soundtrack to artwork at Saint Vitus as part of "Of Stardust", a exhibition/concert at the venue. How was that?

Saint Vitus and Singe Valah Productions will host "Of Stardust", a two-part event on 11/3 that will double as both an exhibition for "Where Purgatory Ends" by Costin Chioreanu, and a show directly after. The event kicks off at 6PM with some complimentary wine and the exhibition, a US exclusive of Chioreanu's works accompanied by the recorded soundtrack of the artist and Rune Eriksen (ex-Mayhem). Listen to some of that audio below. For some examples of the art of Costin Chioreanu head here.

The exhibit will remain up as the event transitions to a live show at 8PM with performances by Musk Ox, Daniel Menche, Ocrilim (Mick Barr), and Kevin Hufnagel, all delivering sets until the evening closes. The Musk Ox and Daniel Menche performances are both one-off appearances. Advance tickets are on sale for the show (for $13), or you can get yours at the door ($15).

Alternately, and on a much bigger note, Rune Eriksen's old alma mater, Mayhem, will be in NYC that same night for a show at Gramercy Theater that's being billed as the "pre-game" for Metal SuckFest which is at the same venue the next two nights (11/4 & 11/5). More Mayhem dates HERE.

In also related news, Kevin Hufnagel will be at Saint Vitus on 11/5 as well, this time performing as part of Vaura for their appearance with Rosenkopf and Anatomy of Habit, the latter's exclusive area appearance. Tickets are still available for Anatomy of Habit, a BrooklynVegan/Wierd production.

Check out some "Where Purgatory Ends" video and the soundtrack to said exhibition, along with a teaser for Metal Suckfest below.

Bob Larson, an American radio and television evangelist and one of the leading practitioners of modern, Christian exorcisms, will conduct an exorcism next week on Jørn Stubberud, best known as the bassist in the legendary Norwegian black metal band MAYHEM (where he performs under the stage name Necrobutcher). The entire event will be filmed by NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway, for a special program which will be aired in Norway in October.

Speaking to the German edition of the Metal Hammer magazine at this past weekend's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Stubberud said, "NRK is sending me over to Phoenix, Arizona next week. There's this famous preacher. I'm not a believer, so I think he's a quack. A very religious guy. He's an excorcist; that's what he does. I'm just there for the fun of it. He's gonna perform an exorcism on me on national TV. So it's gonna be wild as fuck and, of course, I don't expect to suddenly be free from some demons or whatever. I'm just there for the fun of it and for the hell of it." -[Blabbermouth]

Check out the interview with Necrobutcher, and video of his "nemesis" Bob Larson below.

After cancelling their last batch of dates, Mayhem will head back out to North America for a fall tour with support from Keep Of Kalessin, Hate, and Abigail Williams. Woe will also join on thirteen dates, though no word on which ones. The tour hits NYC at Gramercy Theater on November 3rd. Tickets info is forthcoming. Full tour schedule is below.

In related news, Woe mastermind Chris Grigg recently penned an open letter to Liturgy's Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, an excerpt of which follows:

To the point, then: we get it, dude. You think you are very, very important. Everything about you oozes a sense of superiority. Looking at only the first few pages of your Transcendental Black Metal essay, we find the following:

You somehow decided that black metal is the "culmination of the history of extreme metal."

You explain that traditional black metal is ultimately unfulfilling: "Hyperborean [traditional, Scandinavian-derived] Black Metal represents the mountaineer's arrival at the peak and a supposed leap off of it... And he is left, crestfallen, frozen and alone, in the Hyperborean realm."

You authoritatively claim the blast beat as belonging to black metal, though far from unique to it, because it allows you to rationalize your I-can't-maintain-a-hyper-blast beat by plainly stating, "the technique of Hyperborean Black Metal is the blast beat."

You audaciously inform us that your work is the next stage of the art's evolution with "[Transcendental Black Metal] is a sublimination of Hyperborean Black Metal in both its spiritual aspect and its technical aspect."

Those passages, the essay on the whole, and every attempt to defend your position shows that you lack even the smallest sliver of modesty or respect for your peers or listeners. These qualities -- rather, the lack of these qualities -- are not unusual for black metal artists to possess; after all, concepts of superiority and elitism are hallmarks of traditional black metal. In your case, though, they do not apply because you have gone so far out of your way to show that you are not the typical black metal musician, you are not part of this world -- you are an outsider wearing some (just some) of black metal's skin. I appreciate you taking the effort to describe what you are attempting to do; however, when you make lengthy, authoritative statements decrying black metal as dead and outdated, when you deride everything that came before you as little more than a failed attempt at something that is unreachable, you're thumbing your nose at everyone who does not see things your way. It's obnoxious. It's rude. It's annoying.

Check out the whole thing at Metal Review. All tour dates and some video is below.